Joe's Security

Hopefully you checked out “Know Your Security Perimeter” which reveals the common-sense void where most everyday computer users are wrongly or just not told how best to keep bad code and intruders out of their computers.

Simply put, this article discusses why that even though software firewalls have value, they by themselves are not enough to keep hackers from toying with your computer. The good news is that this is easy to fix.

Imagine you’re back in the 13th century, working hard on your farm and in comes some bad news, “Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde are coming!” So off you go to your favorite computer store for advice, because they’re REALLY good at helping you be secure. They recommend a copy of “anti-Mongolian” – telling you that this is just the product to make the door of your cottage impervious to anyone! You’d get a little nervous, because you know that just beefing up your front door isn’t nearly enough to keep THESE bad guys out.

So if the Mongols were coming and you decided to stay, what would you do? You’d get a moat, and put a thick, stone wall around your cottage or better yet, move in with your neighbor who lives in a castle. No way you'd  just put bigger locks on your door and call it a day.

"Botnet" is a term for groups of "zombied" computers remotely controlled by hackers, even though their owners are unaware of it. These zombies are used to do malicious things like forward spam, spew viruses or gang up together to do outright attacks against targeted computer systems! The vast majority of these “zombies” are home computers.

The recent computer worm dubbed “Storm” was a very successful, sophisticated, next generation computer infection which at its peak caused there to be millions of "Storm Zombie" computers worldwide. You thought the Mongol horde story was a stretch. There are hundreds of thousands of Internet villains that have your home computer in their crosshairs! There are many BOTNETS! The very computer you’re reading this on could be spitting out spam, worms and viruses at this very moment without you even knowing it! And though various botnets rise and fall, they are a major threat to your computer and the Internet.

You’ve invested a lot into what's on your computer, your data is important to you! And the only thing between you and any script kiddie or hacker anywhere on planet earth is a $45 piece of anti-virus software? Oh wait, your subscription has expired?!?!

So why does "average Joe" computer owner think that all they need to protect their financial info, family photos, music collection, and other data valuables, from the Internet’s “Mongol Horde” is to install "security software" on their computer and call it a day? They haven’t been told any better! More to the point, the selling practices of most computer resellers or Internet Service Providers doesn't inform buyers of this fact.

The Bottom line is that you've gotta move that security boundary (a.k.a. network perimeter) out from your PC, Mac, Xbox or whatever by putting in a big, fat wall. Better yet... a firewall! A firewall that is a separate hardware device that sits between your computer(s) and the Internet. 

This is why virtually all companies use separate, hardware firewalls to protect their computers. They work! They add another security layer or perimeter for bad guys to have to get through. The risk of hacked computing assets is too high to be without one! Any Internet connected interface is a big, juicy target, pure and simple. So if you’re going to put up a target for hackers, get a separate device that’s made for the job. A decent home-use firewall can be had for less than $50! And what if the cheap device gets hacked (very uncommon)? Just hold in its reset button for 15 seconds to restore it to factory defaults, flash new firmware onto it, restore its configuration and call it a day.

There are millions of hacker-controlled computers because… no, not because of Microsoft… no, not because of bad anti-virus software… it’s because millions of computer owners haven't been clearly told, that putting their computers (flawed operating systems, software and all) directly onto the Internet without adequate security is DANGEROUS! Sure, some operating systems are more prone to being hacked than others, but ALL OF THEM (Macs, too) can be exploited. Period.

This is one of Joe's five cheap (or free) things you have to do or know to keep your computer from becoming assimilated into the zombie horde. Getting a separate, hardware firewall is one of them. The next article discusses "Strong Medicine" for home computers - the next of Joe's "five steps" - essential to having a zombie and 'bot free computer.